Whether you avoid such houses no matter the cost, or actually prefer the stigmatized house more than a normal one because of the price, today you and I are going to explore how to find out if a property in Japan comes with a dark history and we’ll also try to uncover some tips to help you to either avoid or choose such a place.

What Is Stigmatized Property?

Stigmatized property is called 事故物件 (じこぶっけん/juko-bukken), 訳あり物件 (わけありぶっけん/wakeari-bukken), ブラック物件 (ぶらっくぶっけん/black-bukken), or in legal terms 心理的瑕疵物件 (しんりてきかしぶっけん/shinriteki-kashi-bukken) in Japanese. 瑕疵 (かし/kashi) means flaw; defeat; blemish and a property with “kashi” is a place that buyers or tenants may shun for reasons that are unrelated to its physical condition or features. Such reasons include murder, murder-suicide, family suicide, individual suicide, solitary death and arson. On top of that, it includes things like whether or not a gangster organization (yakuza) used the space, or if a religious cult exists nearby.

The Law And A Loophole

Although both the civil law of Japan, as well as the building lots and building transactions business law (what a mouthful) dictates that realtors to inform any prospective tenants of any “stigma” involving the previous tenant or property, the law doesn’t actually state what specifically that stigma is. Therefore, the realtors themselves have to decide what exactly is worth informing prospective tenants about by referring to precedents. In fact, it seems to be pretty difficult for realtors to judge because there are various precedents which could change depending on the situation.

For example, one precedent indicates that the prospective tenant needs to be informed for at least two years following some form of stigma, whereas the other said that it has to be 20 years, though the average accepted duration is typically between 5 to 10 years. There was also a precedent stating that the tenant has to be informed of such incidents 10 years after it happened unless a different tenant has already lived there.

This precedent created a loophole: the requirement of informing tenants of a stigma applies only to the most recent tenant and once the place has been rented a second time, whatever occurred prior to that need no longer be reported. Because of this, many people just changed the registered tenant’s name to their family member’s, or even hired someone to temporarily live there. This rampant, immoral method has actually caused a lot of hassle in the courts. For this reason, there is now a consensus among real estate companies to inform the prospective tenant of the stigma if the incident happened within the past 10 years or if the prospective tenant is the third registered tenant after the incident, though, again, it is still left to the realtor’s or owner’s discretion.

First, Simply Ask the Realtor

So now let’s suppose you’re in the market for a new apartment, and you spot one that’s pretty good. The location is favorable, the structure is very durable, and the unit has plenty of storage space and gets a lot of sunshine. It’s also in close proximity to a train station and convenient shopping places, but the rent seems too good to be true. Tintintin~♪ Bingo♪

If that’s the case, you are likely to find that the apartment may have experienced an “unfortunate incident.” In general, rent for stigmatized properties is usually listed at over 20% less than normal. Even if it is listed at the normal rate, you’re likely to be able to negotiate the price down by 20% or more, so long as you know that the stigma exists.

So, say you do find a place that is priced at the normal market value. How can you figure out about the stigma then? One thing that may set off some warning bells is if it was renovated. The place looks brand spankin’ new and it’s only this price? Or, even more suspicious, what if only part of the location is renovated. The flooring in this particular room is so beautiful but the walls are kind of old and shabby looking… or, why is the bathtub so new and high-tech when the toilet’s oshiri button doesn’t even move back and forth?

These are the kinds of things to look for, so if you notice any of these things or anything else that seems fishy, you can simply ask the realtor if this is a place with an undesirable history. As long as the realtor is a good person and follows the consensus, you will be informed, especially when you directly ask. You may also want to check if the neighboring units are occupied too, because it’s common for people to move away if there was an event or issue at the unit you’re looking at.

So, whether you’re trying to avoid a stigmatized unit or if you’re trying to find one so you can negotiate the price down, those are the things you need to do.

What To Ask?

Let’s say you do ask and they say “Nope, not stigmatized.” You know that look in their eyes. They seem uncomfortable and are making weird movements, just like a lier would! Something is wrong here…

One way to get past this is to ask for more details. Here are some questions that will help you to figure out if it is actually that type of place:

• How long did the previous tenant live here and how long has the unit been vacant (exactly when did they move out)?
• Did the tenant move out within two years of moving in?
• Did they move when it wasn’t normal moving season, such as March? Why?

If the realtor hesitates to answer or tells you that he/she doesn’t know the reason, you should keep being skeptical. With enough digging, you might make the person slip up and tell you something they didn’t intend to, or you may just catch them in a lie.

Furthermore, if you are enthusiastically recommended a unit with phrases that sound as though the person is rushing to sell the place, such as “I’ve never seen such a good place”, “I’d like to live here if I were you”, or “It’s so rare that such a place is available at this price”, then you may want to think twice. Maybe it is too good to be true. Oh and by the way, if you are seeking a stigmatized property and don’t mind being honest about that with the realtor, feel free to reveal that information right where you stand. In that case, no one would lie. They’re probably having trouble selling the place and that might come at a relief to them. That being said, maybe you could say that out front and then catch them at their lie.

Second, Go To Well-Disclosures Real Estate Site

If the situation arises when you’ve asked the realtor your questions, but didn’t get enough confidence boosting information and thus are still skeptical, the next thing you should do is to check out the real estate sites, such as SUUMO, which discloses stigmatized information.

As for SUUMO, not only are they unafraid to reveal stigmatized property but they’ve also even attempted a new and unique approach to offloading stigmatized property. In a very positive way, they try to convince the potential renter that it’s actually a great thing to live in a place where someone violently died! The following is what they wrote for the unit.

“事故物件♪
人気の事故物件♪初期費用が少額♪TDL近い♪バストイレ付き♪ー初期費用の少ない事故物件でました！一人暮らしなのに一人暮らしではないような感覚にさせてくれる寂しがり屋さんにオススメのお部屋です♪”
Stigmatized Property♪
Popular stigmatized property♪ Low initial cost♪ Near Tokyo Disneyland♪ Private bath and toilet♪ It’s a stigmatized property, which means low initial cost! You’ll be living alone, but you’ll never really feel like it. This room is perfect for lonely singles♪

It came with pictures of not just the apartment and surrounding area, but also of a cute, friendly ghost character ‘お化けのQ太郎(おばけのきゅうたろう/Obake-no-Q-taro)’, which means ‘Ghost Q-taro’ and was made by the creators of ‘ドラえもん(Doraemon)’, 藤子不二雄(Fujiko Fujio).

The price was 23,000yen(US$230) per month with no deposits for the 107 square-foot unit with a kitchen, balcony, bathroom, and toilet. It seems that this unique idea succeeded in its purpose and the ad was taken off shortly after.

事故物件・訳あり物件情報センター(Jiko-bukken・Wakear-bukken-Jouhou-center), which is Stigmatized Property Information Center is another website on which you can find these properties, as well. Although they only cover the Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Chiba areas, they actually focus solely on stigmatized property for their business, whereas SUUMO only partly deals with such properties. So if you are looking for such a place, you can search for an ‘only stigmatized property’ realtor.

Third, Check Out Oshima Teru

Oshima Teru CAVEAT EMPTOR is an up and coming website operated by Manabu Oshima since September 2005. The site’s main purpose is to map out every property where unnatural deaths occurred and to show you the ‘stigmatized properties’ with burn marks from fires. Originally, it focused on the greater Tokyo area, but now they have extended into a near worldwide coverage including North America and Europe. They glean data from police reports and the media, visit the actual places or the courts to learn the correct addresses, and use Google maps to indicate where all the “stigmatized properties” around the world are. This site is getting popular and they even made a Google app. This site is also for free so to all of you are thinking of moving I’d recommend searching for a stigmatized property on Oshima Teru to make a stigmatized property your own.

However, despite the worldwide coverage of Oshima Teru, most places are limited to major cities. So, what can you do now? Unfortunately, your last resort may be to walk around and ask the neighbors by yourself: “This unit is very cheap compared to the average price in this area, so is it only this unit or is everyone in this apartment building paying the same price?” Although it may be a difficult, time-consuming way, you may be able to gain fruitful information not only regarding stigmatized properties, but also about your potential landlord’s or neighbors’ personalities.

Finally Make Your Own Decision

Though I listed the ways to figure out if the unit is stigmatized, most likely you will just be informed by the realtor because they will be afraid of being sued for hiding it from you (should you move in and find out later). Some real estate companies actually went bankrupt because of having a bad reputation from hiding such things.

Interested in buying or renting a stigmatized home? Go ahead! Although, there are also some cases where tenants complained of “residual smells” being left behind by decomposing corpses, or tenants who developed insomnia due to the psychological pressure of knowing what occurred in their unit, so you should also consider those things before making a decision. But, if you value a good deal over trivial things like your psychological health, I won’t hold you up any longer.

Me? As I told you earlier, there is no way that I could move into one of those places or learn that I used to live in one. However, my curiosity was far too great and I actually felt compelled to find out whether or not I unknowingly lived in stigmatized house. Unfortunately, or perhaps luckily, I couldn’t find any verifiable proof that the incident I wrote about in a previous article actually occurred there, perhaps because it was such a old case. Personally, I’m glad that I didn’t find anything out. I guess it will just have to remain an eerie possibility for my mind to nibble on.

So what about you? Think you could live in a stigmatized property? Where would you draw the line? Is suicide okay but not murder? Or perhaps the line is between murder suicide and regular murder? Let me know your opinion and where you stand. Oh, and if you’ve lived in a stigmatized property, tell me all about it, I want to know!

Speaking of trains though, while they are one of Japan’s favorite obsessions, they’re also potential suicide machines. People I know have been warned to not look at oncoming trains because of the possibility that someone might jump in front of them. It’s not exactly something you’d want to witness. I don’t know about you, but I’d be pretty uncomfortable seeing that.

Death has a new face.

Apparently this is more common on the yellow and orange colored lines because they are “happy” colors, which seems quite odd considering, but whatever. Sometimes these lines have straighter rails which allow the trains to reach higher speeds which then in turn make the suicide attempt more likely to succeed, but this article isn’t about trains and this is getting depressing so let’s move on.

The Bachelor Pad of Doom

In Japan, potential buyers must be informed if someone ever committed suicide in the property they’re looking to buy or rent. Unfortunately, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for landlords to move these so called suicide apartments. In most cases they have to significantly reduce the normal asking price. Nine out of ten Japanese agree – these properties aren’t even worth looking at, regardless of how slashed the prices are. Apartments that people killed themselves in are creepy.

Some Japanese people view taking one’s life as brave and heroic. While I can’t really say I agree there, many Japanese people who feel this way also believe the total opposite when it comes to killing yourself in your own home or apartment. They view it as incredibly inconsiderate. They’d rather have you go off to Aokigahara or something and do it there.

While sad to think about, this belief kind of makes sense as many landlords have taken to the habit of passing the losses in sales onto the families of the deceased tenants. They sue the remaining family members for purification rituals, cleaning costs, repairs, and lost rental income. These fees add up fast and quickly amount to ridiculous sums. Some landlords even go so far as to sue for the amount required to totally demolish the building and just build another one in its place.

The situation has gotten so out of hand that the Japan Suicide Survivors Network has asked the ruling Democratic Party of Japan to pass some sort of legislation that would prevent stuff like this from happening, or at least lessen the blow a bit. In one case, a young woman killed herself in her apartment and the landlord showed up during her funeral to demand ¥6 million (~$75,500) so that he could hire a priest to “cleanse” the property. Talk about insensitive. Even worse was that the family was so upset that they didn’t even argue. They just paid up.

“Hello, we’re here to take all of your money.”

In another case, a salaryman killed himself in his apartment and the landlord asked the family to pay ¥2 million (~$25,000) for “repairs” and another ¥5 million (~$63,000) for “estimated future losses due to reduced rent.” The family hired a lawyer, but it didn’t do them much good. They still ended up paying over ¥2 million.

Another landlord demanded ¥120 million (~$1,510,500), saying that the entire building was “cursed” and he would have to completely rebuild it. Yikes. And how do you even prove that a place is cursed anyway? I really wonder how much of these payments are legitimate and how much is just the landlords taking unfair advantage of emotionally distraught families.

But Why?

So how can this be legal? Almost all rental agreements state that the tenant must leave the property in the exact same state as it was when the tenant moved in or they will face fees. If you think about it, after a person commits suicide in a rental unit, it becomes, in a way, defective property. This gives landlords an avenue to sue the families for the monetary damages inflicted by the suicide victim.

And why are the Japanese so afraid of suicide apartments? Well like I said, the property becomes defective in the eyes of many Japanese. Plus, just knowing that someone offed themselves in your current home is pretty damn creepy. As you know, Japanese people on the whole can be extremely superstitious and many believe in ghosts, hauntings, and curses.

Just look at all the horror movies that come out of Japan. When’s the last time you saw a Japanese slasher film? Oh, that’s right, never. They even give super low rates on apartments that just happen to be close to a graveyard. The Japanese don’t want anything to do with dead people and their haunting spirits.

I’m pretty sure that other countries give discounts on these sorts of properties as well, but it seems to be to a much greater extent in Japan. The stigma, discounts, and legal actions are all much bigger over there than anywhere else I’ve ever heard of. It’s crazy.

So tell me, would you live in one of these suicide apartments? What if it was really nice and the rent was super cheap? If you found out your current place was a suicide property, how much of a discount would you need to continue living there? Think these landlords should be able to sue these families? Let us know in the comments!

Sites Referenced:
BBC: The stigma of Japan’s ‘suicide apartments’
The Japan Times: Landlords getting tough with families of suicides

To help anyone else who has been thinking about packing up and moving to the Land of the Rising Sun, I’ve put together this helpful list. I talked to some of my friends currently living in Japan to get their opinions, put it together with what I learned from being in Japan for 10 weeks, and compiled it all into this post. Hopefully you find it useful and informative.

PRO #1: The Shopping and Convenience Stores

Convenience stores in Japan are awesome. You can find almost anything there, and they’re always clean, well serviced, and safe. Compared to the average American convenience store it’s like night and day. Their shopping centers are pretty awesome too, but I suppose this can be said about most modern nations. To learn more, you can check out Hashi’s post on how Convenience Stores In Japan are Surprisingly Convenient.

CON #1: No Individualism

To some, this may be viewed as either a pro or a con (some people like group mentality way more than others), but for the average American/Westerner, the strict group mentality of Japan can be a bit jarring. Everyone has to be involved in business decisions and meetings can take forever as a result with people feeling like nothing is getting done.

This is kind of a broad generalization though, but I would say on the whole, Japan is much more group minded than the average Western nation. But like I said, some people really enjoy this sense of community that comes with the group mentality. For more about Japan and this issue, you can check out Hashi’s post on The Nail That Sticks Up.

PRO #2: The Food

Japanese food is great. It’s healthy, tastes great, and is fun to eat. They have everything from sushi, to okonomiyaki, to fugu. Compared to an average American diet, the average Japanese diet is much healthier. It’s definitely a large part of Why Japanese People Live so Long. For more about Japan and its crazy healthy diets, you can check out Koichi’s series of posts on How To Eat Like A Japanese Buddhist Monk.

CON #2: The Food

Ain’t nuthin’ quite like a big bowl o’ cod sperm.

Yes, for some people Japanese food is not a pro, but a con. Seafood and rice is not for everyone, and if you can’t handle it then you’re not going to be quite as happy living in Japan. Sure, you can find other stuff, I mean, Japan has a pretty awesome selection of fast food joints, but it’s definitely not going to be like home. Some things are even pretty hard to find in Japan, such as root beer.

Since Japan is an island nation, seafood is going to be the cheapest and most readily available food, with imported goods being a bit less accessible and a bit more expensive. For a look at some of the Japanese dishes very few would enjoy, you can check out Fiona’s post on her Selection of Wonderfully Weird Japanese Foods.

PRO #3: Improving Your Japanese

Okay, so maybe this one is kind of obvious. Of course if you go to Japan and totally immerse yourself in the language and culture and society and everything, your language skills are going to benefit much more than if you were back at home in your native land. But maybe this is the main reason you’re moving to Japan, so you can get better at the language.

In Japan you’ll find no shortage of people willing to talk to you and some will probably be interested in practicing their English skills with you. And for those of you who lack the means to travel to Japan for study, you can check out my guide on How to Learn Japanese Without Really Doing Anything.

CON #3: Less then Ideal Living Quarters

Of course this one depends on what area of Japan you find yourself living in, but on the whole, Japanese housing is going to be a bit smaller and a bit less cushy than what you’re used to. Out in more rural areas, you might get lucky and find a place of decent size, but most often you’ll be housed in a place a good bit smaller than what you’re used to.

Also, central air and heating are a bit less common over there than they might be in places like America, so that’s another little annoyance to keep in mind as well. For more on this, you can check out Hashi’s posts on whether or not Japanese Houses are Worthless, and how Japan Keeps Warm in the Winter.

PRO #4: Getting a Job

Probably the easiest way to get yourself over to Japan is by getting yourself a teaching job there. Luckily, there always seems to be an abundance of positions available, because Japan always wants to learn more English. For some people, the job market isn’t so hot in their home country, so getting a teaching job in Japan can seem like an attractive option. This is what many of my college friends ended up doing after graduation. You get living quarters provided for you, and you get a steady job and a paycheck. For more about how to land such a teaching job, you can check out Koichi’s post on Applying for the JET Program with Jason and his Argonauts.

CON #4: Working in Japan can Suck

So, yeah – they give you a teaching job, but it’s not always ideal. Take a look and some quotes from my friends who are currently living and teaching there now.

I think people work too hard here. People stay at work for upwards of 15 hours every day. Before moving here I thought I would eventually want to work in the business world here, but now I’m not so sure anymore. People have no time to see their families and it’s not weird for kids to almost never see their own father.

Yes, the work hours can be pretty harsh – even for a teacher. Of course it depends on where you’re working and what program it is with, but overall I’d say that the work life is much more stressful over there than your typical Western country.

It’s ridiculous that people show up 15 minutes early and stay 90 minutes late every day. It’s expected that if you are sick, you use a vacation day rather than a sick day. And to be hire-able at your next job you need to show that you’ve used as few vacation days as possible.

It’s also not too rare for people to have to take weeks or months off of work due to “mental illness” but it’s actually because they are so #$!%*&@ overworked and stressed out.

When my grandma died, my supervisors expected that I would follow the same rules as everybody else. You get one or two days off work for grieving and travel to the funeral, any other time is to be vacation time. So I had to pull out my contract and remind them that they agreed to give me a week in such an event. So yeah, moral of the story: Japanese people are overworked and under social pressure not to relax.

This all sounds pretty lousy to me. I mean, my job isn’t very stressful at all, but I still really look forward to my days off and just having time to relax. I can’t imagine living and working in Japan being so stressed out and then being discouraged to take time off. It sounds awful. And for more on the subject, feel free to check out Koichi’s post on how Teaching English in Japan is Total BS.

PRO #5: Public Transport

Compared to American public transport at least, Japanese public transport is unbelievably awesome. In Europe and other countries, it’s probably pretty good as well, but the Japanese have really got it down pat. Their subway and train systems are crazy convenient, accurate, and make getting around the country so much easier. Even their buses are awesome.

When I was in Japan, I never felt like having a car would have made my life more convenient. Having such a integrated system of public transport made getting around very easy and simple and it’s one of the things I miss most. Japan sure does love its trains though. For more about that, you can check out Hashi’s post on Japan’s Love Affair With Trains.

CON #5: Prejudice Against Foreigners

Again, this is one of those cons that depends on the people you’re with and the area in which you find yourself. It also seems to depend on the age of Japanese people you’re around as the younger crowd seems much more tolerant of foreigners. I’ve heard some of my friends talking about how whenever they walk around in Japan, older Japanese folk will click their tongues when they see Americans. Like they are tsk tsk-ing them for showing themselves in public.

Overall, I would say that it’s not too bad, and to an extent probably depends on the person (what you look like, how you dress, and if you’re with Japanese friends when you’re out), but if you’re already finding yourself isolated and not making friends in Japan, people scoffing at you in public will only add to your depression. For more on this, you can check out Japan Focus’ post about Japan’s Entrenched Discrimination Toward Foreigners.

And there you have it, some of the best and worst things about living in Japan. I feel as though some of these can only really be experienced when you’re living there on your own, but some can be realized only after a few days of travel there. Japan is a great country and a fun place to visit. But would I ever want to live and work there though? I can’t say. Maybe sometime in the future, but for now, I’m happy where I am.

So tell me, what are your favorite (and least favorite) things about Japan and how they do things there? Have you ever lived in Japan before? Ever had any first hand experiences with any of the issues listed above? Any interesting stories to share? Let us know in the comments!